The Feeling of Christmas
by Karmitara
Summary: Tony Stark has always felt a certain way about Christmas... but this year will be different.


Christmas: a time for family and friends and food and being emotional with your loved ones... Tony hated it. He absolutely despised the holidays and all the feelings, even when he was a child. He could stand it if it was just Pepper and him, but even she seemed to be light-years away for the holidays. So it was just going to be him and some bottles of strong alcohol.

"What do you guys do for the holidays around here?" Tony heard someone in the hall ask.

"We used to have Christmas dinners with anyone who could make it," Steve answered. Tony rolled his eyes. "Clint used to switch between coming here with his family for the holidays and going to his in-laws; Sam would sometimes just spend half a day with us and the other half of the day with some retired soldiers that didn't have anyone; and Nat would randomly decide what she was going to do the night before. But when we did get together for the holidays, it was always fun."

Tony felt like gagging. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with anything they might be planning. A treaty was drafted between the Avengers that were on both sides of the law, and amendments were made to the Accords so that everyone could agree on them. While Tony may have welcomed them back into the Compound, he wasn't ready to get buddy-buddy with them again just yet - over the holidays or any other time.

Nope, he was just going to spend the holidays in the Bahamas or something. Yeah, a nice warm beach...

"Boss, Peter Parker has just arrived." Friday announced. Tony opened his eyes, staring at his ceiling. Was it three-pm already? God, he was so tired... But he guessed that he could summon some more strength for the boy. It was probably going to be their last Thursday together until after the holidays, Peter was going on vacation with his aunt for an unknown amount of time. It's all the boy had talked about for the last three months... They were going to start out in Disney World for Christmas, then just drive until May's vacation time was up. It sounded quaint, just perfect for Peter.

"Hey, kid," Tony greeted as the boy walked into his office. "I've got a few more papers to take care of here, then we can go to the lab, okay?"

"It's fine," Peter sighed, going to sit on the sofa and staring out a nearby window. Tony frowned, not expecting this kind of behavior from someone who was normally so cheerful about the coming holiday.

"Okay, spill it." Tony demanded, getting up and going to sit on a couch in front of Peter, giving the youth his full attention. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"You have been yapping my ears off since September about your Christmas vacation and how much you loved the holidays. Why are you so upset now?"

Tony watched as Peter looked down at his lap, tugging at the hem of his shirt and doing his best to hide his true feelings - something he was terrible at. "The vacation was canceled. There was a mix up with May's time off, and she was scheduled to work this week through the holiday rush. They're even making her work through Christmas morning..."

"Wow, kid..." Tony awkwardly patted Peter's shoulder, "Sorry to hear that. I know you've been looking forward to that for a while."

"I just really wanted this Christmas to work out. It's been so hard on May since... since Ben died, and she's been really struggling lately. It's our first Christmas without him, so that's just going to make it so much worse for her. She tries to hide it from me, but I see her eyes red and puffy in the mornings, I know she still really misses him."

Tony felt his heart break as Peter hid his face in his hands, but he didn't know what to say. What do you say to a young person that was mourning someone over the holidays? He should really read some of those parental books Rhodey got him... But not in a parental way... Tony wasn't a parenting type. Look at any news article from his college and early business days. Definitely not dad material.

"You know, we used to have the best holiday parties when I was younger." Peter smiled to himself, saving Tony from his thoughts. "Back when my parents were alive, they would throw these big parties on Christmas Eve and we'd all get dressed up. I was only allowed downstairs for the first two hours of the party, just enough for greetings and food, before going up to bed with a sitter. I used to dream of a time when I would be allowed to stay for the full party..." He chuckled and looked up at Tony, "I later realized that after dinner was when the adults brought out the alcohol.

"May and Ben would come over for the party and stay the night. They were some of the worst drinkers since they were younger than the others there, and they absolutely hated me in the morning when mom would send me in to wake them for the opening of the presents. Those are my first memories of Christmas...

"Then when my parents died, Ben and May did everything to decorate their apartment as elaborately as they could. We'd go out to chop a real tree down, strung lights up along the ceiling and windows inside, Ben thought it would be a good idea to put some inflatables inside one time..." Peter laughed as he shook his head, "That wasn't a good idea at all, so they just stuck to dressing up as Santa and an elf every year until I was ten. They were so weird, but perfect at the same time."

Peter sighed, looking down at his lap again, "Now, May has to work double shifts and holidays just to get a few presents, even when I tell her not to. I'm not complaining, but I just really wish I could spend one more Christmas like that again..."

No matter how hard he tried, Tony couldn't stop thinking about Peter's words for the rest of the day. He almost lost an eyebrow in the labs because of that... But as he waved goodbye to Peter at the end of the day, he felt like cursing.

He really hated himself sometimes.

He marched back into his office and picked up his desk phone, dialing the one number that he knew would help him with his plan.

"Pepper Potts," The angelic voice answered. He grinned to himself as he worked his charming magic.

"Pep...! I need your help..."

It took every ounce of Tony's sanity and charm to set everything up in time, but it eventually came together. All that was left was the guest of honor himself, which would be slightly difficult... How do you get a teenager to dress up without them knowing? That was his main problem. Should he just tell Peter to come over and have a suit waiting for him? Should he tell the kid to blindfold himself before getting dressed? That might be a little weird...

"Why not just tell him the truth?"

Tony looked up at the doorway, seeing Steve leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed.

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't you tell Peter what you are planning?"

Tony rolled his eyes, picking up some papers to look over and seem busy. "That kind of nulls out the whole point of a surprise, don't you think?"

"But you wouldn't have to stress yourself out like this though, trying to work everything in place."

Tony hesitated for a second, his eyes looking at the papers but not seeing them. Instead, he saw a happy Peter, beaming up at him. A small smile graced his face as he shook his head. "It will be worth it though."

Steve studied Tony, a curious expression on his features as he tried to figure out his friend. The man that Steve knew before the Civil War wouldn't have cared about such a hyper kid, but the Tony that sat in front of him now was bending over backwards to get even a smile from him. It was strange, but it made Steve feel happy.

"Tell him that you want him to go on a business meeting with you then," Steve suggested. "Get him a suit, and that way you can just hand him a better jacket when he gets here."

Tony's head lifted, blinking multiple times at the man there. His smile from before was gone and replaced with a smirk. "Does America's Golden Boy suggest that I lie to a minor?"

Steve shrugged, chuckling as he started to leave. "It's up to you if you want it."

As soon as Steve was out of each shot, Tony snatched his desk phone from the receiver and called up his tailor. "Yes, hello again. Do you still have the last design you had for me? Yeah, I would like a smaller one made as well..."

...

Peter trudged through the day, barely any energy in him despite the closeness of the holidays. Ned had left with his family to visit relatives in another state, MJ wasn't answering his texts, and Mr. Stark was probably busy somewhere in the world at some elaborate party... Meaning Peter was alone for Christmas Eve and the majority of Christmas Day.

Safe to say, he wasn't feeling much of the Holiday Spirit this year.

He sighed as he turned off the TV, pushing himself off the sofa and going to put his suit on. If he wasn't feeling the cheer, then some bad guys probably weren't either.

Just as he made it to his room and took his suit out of its hiding place, someone started banging on his door. Peter jumped at first, his eyes wide as he leaned out of his bedroom to look at the apartment door. He wasn't expecting anyone, especially no one that would bang on a door like that.

"Kid, open up already!" The voice called, jerking Peter into action. He rushed to open the door, staring at Happy Hogan with wonder and confusion.

"Happy? What are you doing here?"

The man stood there with a hanger in his hand, a large bag covering the clothing on it. He gave Peter an expecting look as he shrugged.

"Are you going to let me in or what?"

Peter quickly moved to the side, closing the door after Happy came in. The man glanced around the apartment before turning back to Peter, holding out the hanger and bag. "Put this on, we don't have that much time."

"What- Time for what? What is this?" Peter took it nonetheless, his eyebrows pushed together as he started to lift the bag, but was pushed towards his room by Happy.

"Just go change...! I'll explain in the car!"

Peter raised an eyebrow but left to do as he was told. At least he wasn't alone anymore.

Happy tapped his foot while he waited, his arms crossed and checking his watch every minute. Inside, he was actually pretty impressed with what Tony was doing for the kid, but of course he couldn't show it. He would never hear the end of it if he did...

"Um, Happy? What's all this about?" Peter awkwardly stepped out of his room, tugging at the sleeve of his jacket.

Happy almost whistled, not expecting the kid to clean up so nicely. Instead of whistling, he nodded in approval and went to open the door. "Alright, let's go. Can't keep Tony waiting."

Peter's head snapped up at the name, his confusion growing with every passing second. "Wait, happy, what's going on? I don't have shoes to go with something like this!"

"Just put anything on, your real shoes are in the car. Now let's go! Don't make me tell you again."

The boy frowned as he quickly put his sneakers on, hopping on one foot as he rushed after Happy - stumbles and all. This suit was nothing like the cheap rental he wore to Homecoming, he could tell that it probably cost more than his apartment rent in a year... Why did he need a suit like this if he was going on a mission though? Was this even a mission? He honestly had no idea what was happening...

Once in the car, Peter found the fancy shoes he was meant to wear but still had no explanation. That was - until his phone started ringing. Peter answered it, Mr. Stark popping up on his screen.

"Kid, glad to see you're ready!" Tony greeted, his image appearing to be wearing a suit as well.

"Mr. Stark, what's going on? Why did Happy tell me to wear a suit then basically kidnap me?" Peter chuckled at the annoyed 'hey' he received from the driver.

"Oh that? It's nothing really, I need some help at a board meeting and thought 'why not get the kid?' You're perfect for the job anyway!"

Peter's eyes widened as he stared at his mentor, "Board meeting? Mr. Stark, I'm not even a real employee, I can't go to a board meeting...! What would the media even think about that? Well, I suppose that the media really wouldn't need to know, unless someone told them... But that's besides the point! I don't have any experience in this kind of thing! What if I say something-"

"Whoa, slow down." Tony chuckled as he held up a hand on the screen. "Don't overthink it too much, everything will be fine. I just need you there for appearance sake."

"What-"

"Oh, I have to go. See you soon!"

Peter's phone beeped before turning black, letting him know that the video call had ended. The boy sighed as he looked at Happy's smirk in the rear view mirror, his eyes narrowing slightly. They were planning something, and it wasn't anything to do with a board meeting at Stark Industries. But more importantly...

How could people wear ties? It felt like he was about to suffocate! When he went to Homecoming, his clip-on tie was bad enough... but this was so much worse!

"Happy, do I really have to wear this? I'm going to die if I keep it on!"

"Suck it up, kid," Happy chuckled. "You don't want to end up at the meeting under dressed, do you?"

"C'mon, it's not like they're really going to let me into a board meeting...!"

"This is Tony Stark we're talking about, you think anyone's going to tell him no?"

Peter hesitated slightly, nodding in agreement. It was true... No one could stop Mr. Stark when he set his mind to something. Maybe all this was true... But why would Mr. Stark want him at a meeting for anyway? He still had so many questions!

He leaned his head against the window, watching the cars pass. He had to admit, at least he wouldn't be bored now. Maybe Mr. Stark would let him stay over for the night if he wasn't too busy... That might be a good idea though, Mr. Stark may feel obligated to get him a present or something if he stayed the night.

Peter blinked as he looked around, sitting up. "Happy, why are we going in through the back entrance?"

"You want to avoid the press right?"

"Oh..." They were definitely hiding something from him...

Peter was quiet as Happy parked the car in the garage before getting out, walking with Happy to the door. He frowned slightly when Friday didn't greet them like she normally did, confirming his suspicions even more. What could they be doing to him on Christmas Eve?

Peter thought hard about it as the elevator took them up a few stories. Why was Mr. Stark even still in New York for the holidays? The man should have been getting a tan on a private beach somewhere by now.

Unless... What Peter had said-

Just as his mind was piecing everything together, the doors slid open to reveal the Avengers common room filled with people in elegant clothes and hanging lights and one of the biggest Christmas trees Peter had ever seen right in the middle of the room. The entire place had been rearranged just for this, it seemed, since the sofas, chairs, and tv were gone, and the kitchen area was filled with party food instead of the normal bread and cereals.

Peter scanner the room, seeing multiple familiar faces. Faces that were supposed to be busy for the week...

"Ned?" Peter took a step forward before being tackled in a bear hug by his friend.

"Dude...! Can you believe I'm at a holiday party thrown by the Tony Stark? This is amazing!" Ned beamed, the plate of food in his hand shaking with his excitement. "I wanted to tell you about this since Mr. Stark told me about it, but I swore to keep it a secret for you! Are you surprised?"

Peter looked around the room again, disbelief written all over his face as he tried to understand what had happened. He told Mr. Stark about his holiday memories, and the man listened and granted his wish? All while getting his friends to keep him out of it?

A small smile made its way into his face as he chuckled and shook his head, suddenly all of it making sense.

"Oh yeah, I'm surprised." Peter's eyes scanned the room again as he searched for the man in charge. "Do you know where Mr. Stark is?"

Ned joined in the search, frowning as they came up with nothing. The man had been there mingling just before Peter arrived, so he shouldn't be his hard to find now.

"Ladies and gentlemen," A voice announced from near the tree, drawing the attention of everyone in the room, "It is time that we kick off this party now that our Man of Honor has finally graced us with his presence."

Peter's face reddened as Mr. Stark chuckled at him, a waiter bringing a try of drinks for him and Ned. The boys took it just as Tony lifted his glass into the air.

"To Peter Parker, the kid that makes all of our lives so much brighter." Tony sent a wink to the boy, "Simply put: without him, there would be no party."

"To Peter Parker."

"Dude..." Ned whispered as everyone drank a toast to Peter, by far one of the coolest things ever. The boys drank from their glasses with the others, Peter hesitating slightly until he found that his and Ned's drink were soft drinks and not alcoholic. He should have known better from Mr. Stark.

Peter said goodbye to Ned and went over to Tony, smiling at the man. "Mr. Stark, you did all this for me?"

Tony shoved a hand in his pants pocket as he sipped his drink. "I didn't have anything better to do for the holidays, so why not? Give you some nostalgia and an old wish come true. Just call me Santa Claus."

Peter laughed as he glanced up at the Santa hat Tony was wearing, "Definitely the most stylish Santa I've ever seen."

There was a moment of silence that passed between them before Peter threw cation to the wind and wrapped his arms around the adult, careful not to spill his drink on the man. Tony's body stuffed at the contact before easing into it and wrapping one arm around Peter, his hand patting his back.

"Alright, Kid. You're welcome, no need to get all emotional over it."

"Even the tree is the same..."

"Hm?" Tony raised an eyebrow at the boy whose head was buried in his chest.

"The Christmas tree is the exact same as how mom and dad used to decorate it..."

Tony nodded in understanding, gladly looking at the tree to avoid the wetness in Peter's voice. "Ah, yeah. Your aunt had some pictures she sent me; I thought why not go the extra mile?"

"Thank you, Mr. Stark..." Tony swore that he never saw a more real smile in all his life as he looked at the sheer happiness on Peter's face as he looked around at the decorations. Tony chuckled a bit, knowing that the kid would probably get even more excited as the night went on.

Tony watched as all the guests ate at the small round tables he brought into one of the spare rooms - that served as a dining room for tonight's activities. He himself didn't sit to eat with the others, instead he choose to be a good host and travel around the room to make sure everyone else was alright and enjoying their evening meal. What had his life come to? Actually being a normal party host? Absurd.

"I think he's happy," Steve commented, going to stand next to Tony. Tony raised an eyebrow as his companion nodded over to the table that hosted two teens surrounded by other adults. Ned was smiling and nodding at whatever Peter was saying to Jim Bridenstine and James Morhard, Peter having a 'I can't believe I'm talking with NASA administrators' look as he tried desperately to hold himself back from all the fanboy-ing. It was almost funny to watch.

"Yeah, I think he is too." Tony chuckled as the MIT president joined in the boys' conversation, effectively raising their excitement.

"It's good that you're doing this for him, I'm sure that he'll never forget this night."

Tony looked over at Steve, his eyebrows slightly scrunched together as he got a good look at the man. The soldier's large body seemed to hunch over slightly, his weight shifting from each foot as his eyes kept scanning around the room. All in all: the perfect picture of a nervous man.

"Is there something I should know?" Tony asked, turning his body to give Steve his full attention. "Because you're doing that thing where you try to hide something but fail really bad at it. Do you know something I don't? Something that's going to happen tonight?"

Steve's eyes widened as he shook his head, holding up one of his hands. "No, no, nothing like that..."

"Then what is it? It's slightly disturbing to see you like that."

The large man rubbed the back of his neck, taking a sip of his drink. "Well, I know that things have been... tense... between us since what happened this summer. I also know that you've been avoiding us since we came back to the Compound, and I want to change it, Tony. I should have acted differently handling everything, I should have told you about your parents and understood the pain you must have been in. I don't want things to stay as they are now, and I know it'll take time, but I want us to trust each other again."

Tony made it a point not to look at Steve as he spoke, and even after he finished his eyes stayed firmly ahead of him. But damn, that wasn't what Tony had been expecting at all... Cap apologizing? Didn't see that coming in a million years, especially so awkwardly. That wasn't like Steve at all.

"Hey, Steve!" Sam called, waving the blond to him. Steve glanced over before looking back at Tony.

"Better go see what he wants, you know how he gets." The brunette commented, his eyes still locked on the party. "I'll be fine keeping watch here, if that's what you're worried about."

Steve sighed as he patted Tony's shoulder softly and walked off to Sam. He could only hope that his betrayal wouldn't be a permanent scar on his friendship with Tony.

The night carried on perfectly for the party as the more adult drinks were brought out, Tony definitively drinking a few too many for a host... But that quickly ended when he realize Peter and Ned were trying to sneak drinks as well and he was forced to be an actual adult and keep the kids from doing the same stupid stuff Tony did when he was their age.

God, that was exhausting. Teenage boys were pretty persistent when they set their minds to something; Tony had to threaten them with no more parties until their twenty-first birthdays to get them to behave.

After that, though, they settled down and Peter seemed to tag along with Tony for the rest of the night until the older man realized that he was tired and alone(Ned leaving sometime after his scolding). Deciding to call the party to an end, he wished everyone that was still there a goodnight before leading Peter to his room.

"Really, Mr. Stark, if I get my suit out of my backpack, I can... I can..." A loud yawn cut Peter off as he flopped down on his bed, not even bothering to undo his tie as he grabbed his pillow. "Maybe a power-nap before I go would be good..."

"Forget it, kid," Tony chuckled, "Just stay here for the night and you can leave tomorrow."

"Kay..."

Peter probably should have at least loosened his tie, he realized the next morning, before crashing in his room at the Compound. He wouldn't be surprised if his neck was bruised now because of it... Not to mention how wrinkled it was now, along with his jacket and pants! These probably cost more than his entire apartment complex, and he kinda really messed them up.

His eyes scanned the room as he sat up in the bed, starting to take off his jacket when he noticed a stack of clothes on the bed-stand with a note on top.

 _'Put these on when you wake up_

 _-TS'_

Peter's eyebrows scrunched together as he lifted the shirt, nearly choking on nothing to hold back his laugh. He almost tore off his suit to put the pajamas on. He definitely wouldn't be giving these back to Mr. Stark.

"Hey, kid, are you awake in there?" A voice called from the other side of the door, "You have to be the only kid I know that sleeps in on Christmas."

A frown made its way onto Peter's face as he opened his door, glaring lightly at Sam. "I'm not a kid. And it's not even that late."

"Oh really?" Sam's smirk was evident as he leaned down a bit towards Peter, "I'll stop calling you a kid when you're able to grow a beard. And It's pretty late for everyone else, they're all waiting on you."

Before Peter could respond to his first quip, his mind paused and head tilted. "What do you mean they're waiting on me?"

"Uh, to open presents?"

"There's presents?"

Sam's 'duh' look was slightly annoying, but Peter didn't notice it at the moment as he went back to start changing into day clothes.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" Sam's hand held the door before Peter could close it, stopping the boy from going any further. "Stark made it very clear that day clothes aren't to be worn when opening presents. So those-"

It was then that Sam got an actual look at the pajamas that Peter was wearing. He couldn't stop the laugh that built inside him at Stark's face printed on the center of the shirt with a Santa hat on, or the Iron Man helmets and Christmas lights littering the pants. Tony Stark was definitely behind the boy having these...

"Oh my God, I can't believe he had those made for you..." Sam wheezed as he wiped a fake tear from his eye, his other hand going to clap Peter on the shoulder and pull him from his room. "C'mon, we have to get there soon or they'll start without us."

The two bickered lightly as they walked to the 'Family Room', the sounds of the Avengers catching Peter's attention as they went inside. The boy's eyes widened as he saw the others sitting around a large Christmas tree that was decorated better than anything Peter had seen before.

"You finally made it!" Clint cheered, a large box next to him with a small child in his lap. "It's about time!"

"S-sorry, what is all this?" Peter took a hesitant step forward, scanning the room to see the other Avengers all in their pajamas and with at least two presents near them.

"What, you've never seen Christmas before?" Sam fake-punched his shoulder as he went to sit on a recliner with his presents nearby.

"No- no I mean, of course I've seen Christmas before. I just meant, why... I don't understand-"

"Peter," Steve cut the boy off as he stood up and walked over to the youth, starting to understand what the problem was. He put a hand on Peter's shoulder and smiled softly, "You're part of the team now, so of course you're going to be invited to spend Christmas day with us."

"Besides, the tree at your apartment couldn't hold all your presents." Everyone turned to see Tony walk in, coffee in hand as he stood next to the boy. "So I thought it would be best to have you open them all here."

"What? M-Mr. Stark, this is- I can't even begin...! This is amazing!"

The group chuckled as the boy stumbled over his words, Tony leading him closer to the tree and presents. "Now, I know we're all eager to get our hands on the goodies under the shiny paper, but we've got a few more guests we're waiting on. So remove your hands from the present, Clint."

All eyes went to the archer as he froze, his fingers poised and starting to pull back to corners of the paper with his daughter's help. "Ooh, busted..." Clint chuckled, his daughter giggling as she pulled her hands away as well.

Peter chuckled before scanning the room, mentally tallying all the Avengers and their families. They had everyone there as far as he could see... Was it a new hero that he didn't know about? Was it some friends they had invited as well? Maybe someone that stayed over from the party last night?

"I'm sorry I'm late...!" A familiar voice said as footsteps echoed down the hall. Everyone turned to see May, Happy, Ned, and MJ walking to them with presents in each of their arms. "It took us forever to find where Peter hid his presents!"

"Who puts their presents in the ceiling? A normal person just hides it under the bed or something," Happy muttered, going to put the new gifts next to the tree.

Tony smirked a bit as he walked over to Happy, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think Santa needs to be a little more cheery for the holidays, don't you?"

"Yeah, well I'll tell him if I see him." Happy rolled his eyes, but they soon widened when Tony put a Santa hat on his head. Everyone laughed as the man glared at Tony, going to take it off when Tony whispered something to him. Whatever he said earned him another glare, but Happy left the hat on.

"Now we're just waiting on-"

A chime from the in-room kitchen rang, cutting Steve off as Pepper stood up and went over to the oven. It was then that Peter noticed the sweet smell of baking that lingered in the air.

"Cookies are ready," Pepper announced, Natasha and Clint's wife Laura going to help her. Steve started to get up as well, but Laura simply reminded him of 'what happened last year' and that seemed to be enough to get him to back down.

Peter watched from his place between May and MJ how the group interacted with each other, the way they all laughed and teased each other. He had been with them all before, aside from their fight in Berlin, and he had seen them argue and fight and bicker over the smallest things... but this was totally different from anything Peter had seen from them before. They all really seemed like a family when they were like this.

His eyes wandered to Mr. Stark, who stood near the tree laughing at something Sam said. Peter frowned slightly, seeing as there were plenty of places he could have sat... But knowing Tony, the man probably didn't want to sit near the people that betrayed his trust earlier that year. It made Peter feel bad for him, but he didn't know how to help...

"Alright," The women went back to their seats with large plates of cookies, "we can open the presents now."

Peter didn't have to feel bad for Mr. Stark anymore, smiling as Pepper patted the seat next to her and Tony taking it seconds later.

The kids in the room didn't need to be told twice before they started ripping the wrappings off their boxes, most of the adults laughing as they watched the little ones slowly become buried under paper.

It was fun watching everyone open their presents. Peter could feel himself buzzing from everyone's excitement, like a natural high that was fueled by the people around him. He's never been in such a big group before on Christmas morning, but he could definitely grow to love it. Even the loud squeals of the children didn't bother him…

"Pete," Tony called, a smile playing on the edges of him mouth, "ready for your first present?"

Peter's eyes widened slightly as Mr. Stark called one of his gauntlets to him, confusion written all over his and the others' faces when the man stood up and walked out of the room. Everyone glanced to Peter as the poor boy tried to understand what exactly was happening… Mr. Stark had a present for him, but he needed his Iron Man glove and had the present stored out of the room?

The attention went back to the door as Tony entered again, dragging the biggest stuffed bear Peter had ever seen. His mouth opened in awe as he stood up, taking a hesitant step towards it. "That's for me?"

"Yep, have at it, kid."

One second Peter was standing at the sofa, the next he was jumping onto the large bear and sticking to the side of it in what seemed like a hug. The arm of it was bigger than Peter…

"This is the best present ever!" Peter shouted in between laughs, admiring how soft the toy was.

"See," Tony commented, looking at Pepper, "That's how you're supposed to react when gifted the world's largest teddy bear."

"Tony, Peter is a child-"

"Whoa-!" A soft thud caught their attention again, seeing that the bear had fallen over with Peter underneath. Tony and a few others were about to go help him when a muffled voice called out, "I'm okay…! This is amazing!"

The whole room laughed at him, some shaking their heads. The joys of youth…

"Tony," Steve said, standing next to said man. Tony turned to him, an eyebrow raised in question as he was handed a small box with absolute perfect wrapping. "Merry Christmas."

Tony stared at the box for a second longer than normal before going to the tree and taking another gift out to hand to the soldier. The gift was notably less perfectly wrapped, obviously done by someone who didn't have a lot of practice with gift-wrapping.

"Yeah, merry Christmas."

As the two opened their presents, a tent ion in the air slowly dissipated. There was still a hint of it lingering, but the ease and friendliness outweighed it.

The day went on with more gift exchanges and cookies and lots of hyper kids and teens, and at one point everyone had a glass of milk raised in the air for a toast to Tony, but it wasn't that bad. Tony stood at the edge of the group, watching all their smiling faces as they chatted and played with the kids and admired them all for a second. While he still wasn't fully over what happened that year, he definitely felt like they were on the road to healing.

"Mr. Stark…?" Tony turned at the voice, seeing Peter hesitantly holding a poorly wrapped box in his hands. "Um, I got you this. I know it's nothing like any of your other presents and that you could probably get something much better than this, but I hope you like it."

Tony blinked slightly at the boy before chuckling and taking the offered box. "Kid, you should know me better than that by now."

After multiple tries by hand, Tony had eventually given up trying to open the present himself and went to get a knife, Peter apologizing profusely the whole time (but also while trying to hide a laugh). Once the paper was off and the box was opened, Tony was able to pull out his gift. He scanned it over, his expression unreadable as Peter nervously started fidgeting from the inspection.

"You got me this?" Tony asked, finally looking away from it to look at Peter. The boy shakily nodded, starting to reach out for it.

"I'm sorry; I know it's not that great. I'll return it and get you something else."

Tony turned away, holding his gift close to his chest and he sent Peter a teasing smirk. "Nope, this is mine now. No take backs."

Peter paused, his mind recovering from his run in with almost-embarrassment, before letting out a small laugh. "You almost had me worried there, Mr. Stark…"

"Like I said, you should know me better by now." The man reached out and ruffled Peter's hair, the two of them going to sit back down together as Tony showed the others the present. Peter's face went a few shades of red from the way Tony was showing off, but he still smiled.

Today was a good day… And Peter would definitely remember it for the rest of his life.

 **A/N: This story was so hard to write, you have no idea… I'm not a big Christmas person, and honestly would enjoy life better without this holiday, so actually having to write a story based on the 'magic of Christmas with the family' is something that really held me back a lot… But nonetheless, I also like to write stories based on holidays… and I couldn't just skip over this one.**

 **The next story will hopefully be for New Years in my one-shot collection of Peter and Loki's friendship, Spider and Snake! So if you like their friendship and want to see the New Years special (that I will hopefully have finished by then) please go check out that story.**

 **Despite my feelings for today, I hope you all have a great Christmas!**


End file.
